RADFORD, Va – One year after Hurricane Helene, parts of the New River Valley continue to show the effects of the powerful storm.
While Radford did not see as much damage to homes and businesses as other parts of the region, its parks along the riverfront suffered millions of dollars in damage.
Virginia Tech student Joe Pustover says the river looks very different now than it did in the weeks after the storm.
“Some of the islands that we would stop and fish at down the river and stuff were completely washed away,” Pustover said. “There was debris and yeah, you get the garbage everywhere.”
Mayor David Horton said the flood was the worst here since the great flood of 1940.
“When Hurricane Helene was at its peak, we would have been under about 8 or 10 feet of water right where we’re standing today,” Horton said.
He added, “The force of the river was so dramatic. It ripped the fencing and the lighting and everything down from here and pushed it in that direction.”
A year later, subtle signs of Helene’s force remain on the pickleball and tennis courts. Pavement and concrete were ripped from the ground, making play sometimes unsteady.
“All of this was underwater,” Horton said, pointing to the damaged picnic area.
“We had to take all of this out and take the bathrooms out the back of it,” he said. “All of this is hundreds of thousands worth of work that the city’s not had reimbursed. But this is an important space to have in good shape. We have all kinds of people who come down here.”
People like Pustover, who said it took months to get back on the river.
“It’s really exciting that they were able to do it so quickly, considering how significant the event was,” Pustover said.
While the city waits for more government funding, Horton hopes donations and volunteers can fill the void, making this parkland even better than before the storm.